Maurice Hooker draws with Darleys Perez in unsatisfying Ward-Kovalev co-feature

Maurice Hooker draws with Darleys Perez in unsatisfying Ward-Kovalev co-feature
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
November 19, 2016


LAS VEGAS — Fringe contender Maurice Hooker fought former beltholder Darleys Perez in the pay-per-view co-feature of the most important boxing match of the year.

That fact serves as a perfect indictment of what boxing has become in 2016. The result of the fight was as poetically unsatisfying as the undercard that it topped.

It’s not that Hooker (21-0-3, 16 knockouts) isn’t a solid if not unspectacular fighter or Perez (33-2-2, 21 KOs) a solid step up for him. But this fight is more in line with a ShoBox main event than the main appetizer for such an important event.

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Curtis Stevens sleepwalks to decision victory over James De La Rosa after hand injury

Curtis Stevens sleepwalks to decision victory over James De La Rosa after hand injury
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
November 19, 2016

LAS VEGAS — A hand injury for Curtis Stevens may have robbed us of what was shaping up to be an excellent fight between two gatekeepers.

Stevens, squaring off with James De La Rosa in the opening fight of the pay-per-view portion of the Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward mega fight, hurt his left hand in the third round. It brought what was a solid action fight to a slowed pace as Stevens’ activity level dropped.

That didn’t keep Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) from winning a lopsided decision, though the activity through the second half of the fight would have led you to believe it to be closer than the cards indicated. Stevens prevailed by scores of 98-90 and a more realistic 96-92 twice.

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Vargas hopes patience pays off with tonight's HBO debut

Vargas hopes patience pays off with tonight's HBO debut
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
March 16, 2013


In the short term, it looked as though Jessie Vargas had made a mistake leaving the stable of fellow Las Vegas resident Floyd Mayweather Jr. to join up with Las Vegas-based Top Rank Promotions nearly a year ago.

 Prior to the switch, Vargas had been positioned well in showcase bouts on Mayweather pay-per-view undercards, perhaps the most visibility a young fighter could ask for.

 After being brought on with Top Rank, Vargas took a bit of a step back. He was no longer fighting Josesito Lopez or Steve Forbes type guys at the MGM Grand on pay-per-view. He had been relegated to fighting lesser heralded names like Aaron Martinez and Vito Gasparyan on ESPN2 at places away from the Las Vegas Strip.

 But when Top Rank and their matchmakers Bruce Trampler and Brad Goodman make decisions on what speed they are going to move you at, you would be smart to listen.

 “They did tell me to be patient, that they were gonna get me there,” said Vargas in a phone interview with RingTV on Thursday.

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Richard Abril Looks to Avoid Becoming a Punchline

Richard Abril Looks to Avoid Becoming a Punchline
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
April 12, 2012

There was a collective sigh heard across the boxing community when it became evident that Yuriorkis Gamboa would not be fighting Brandon Rios in a legitimate dream fight on April 14 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

 Some even held out a little hope that, somehow, Gamboa would show up at the scheduled presser in Los Angeles after ducking the first one in the Cuban's adopted home of Miami.

 That didn't happen. Top Rank president Todd Duboef didn't offer up replacement names, as though Gamboa was just running late in L.A. traffic and was en route.

 Though the air was let out of the promotion's sails and HBO backed off broadcasting the Gamboa-less main event on their regular airwaves, a new possible opponent emerged due to a melee that occurred at the Miami presser.

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Arrellano: "Opportunity of a lifetime"

Ortiz Manager Arrellano: “Opportunity of a lifetime”

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

June 7, 2011

With the official announcement that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will be stepping out of a 14 month bout of inactivity to take on reigning WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz on September 17^th, I caught up with Ortiz manager Rolando Arrellano this morning to discuss the fight.

“We agreed to any and all conditions,” stated an elated Arrellano over the phone. “This is Floyd's promotion, he is the man, he has earned his position. We didn't care too much about the gloves, the location, just tell us where and when to show up, it's an opportunity of a lifetime.”

Morales a source of dependency for boxing

Morales provides boxing a source of dependency

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

April 12, 2011

It was a fight that, once over, rendered the official verdict meaningless if you were fortunate enough to catch the action and see it for what it was. Sure, ten years down the line, someone who may not know any better might check out Boxrec, see “Marcos Maidana MD12 Erik Morales,” and think nothing of it, but to those lucky enough to count themselves as one of the more than 7,000 in attendance or one of the few hundred thousand that tuned in live, it was an epic night in the storied career of one of boxing's great warriors.

It's entirely possible that Marcos Maidana may never reach the elite level of the sport, but that won't diminish what Morales was able to do against him at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this past weekend.

Morales 140, Maidana 140

Morales, 140, Maidana 140

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

April 8, 2011

The last time Erik “El Terrible” Morales stepped foot into the MGM Grand for a professional prizefight, he scored the most illustrious win of his storied career, a clear cut twelve round unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao, which serves as the last time the Filipino icon suffered defeat.

That bout took place little more than six years ago, and although Morales has slipped a peg or three since, he is obviously still a big enough draw to be headlining tonight's star studded HBO pay-per-view card from Las Vegas and has seen much of the same amount of people show up in support of him than in his heyday.

Coronel named as opponent for Zewski

Coronel named as opponent for Zewski

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

April 5, 2011

Undefeated Canadian junior middleweight prospect Mikael Zewski [8-0, 5 KOs] has found an opponent for his spot on the undercard of this Saturday's Erik Morales-Marcos Maidana HBO pay-per-view as he will fight Robert Guerrero sparring partner Clint Coronel [4-1-2, KO] of San Jose, California in a six-round bout.

Ghost Guerrero needs to be more lucid against Katsidis

Ghost Guerrero needs to be more lucid against Katsidis

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

April 4, 2011

He hasn't lost in almost five years, has claimed world titles three times in two different weight classes, has fought on HBO in three of his last four and, at 28 years old, he should be hitting his physical prime. With credentials like those, one must assume the fighter in question is a pound-for-pound entrant that the casual fan is likely aware of.

Unfortunately, the fighter in discussion is Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, who on April 9^th will meet the always tough Michael Katsidis for the vacant interim WBA and WBO lightweight titles on the undercard of Erik Morales' return to Las Vegas against Marcos Maidana on HBO-PPV. Yes, its a vacant interim unification bout.

The Brothers Morales

The Brothers Morales

Mark E. Ortega (translation done by George Jimenez)

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

April 1, 2011

On April 9^th, the partisan crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada will get a glimpse at the past, present, and future of one of Mexico's most favored fighting families.

Headlining the HBO pay-per-view televised card will be elder statesman Erik “El Terrible” Morales [51-6, 35 KOs] who returns to the big fight limelight for the first time in four years as he takes on Argentina's Marcos Rene Maidana [29-2, 27 KOs], quite possibly the heaviest hitter south of the welterweight division.

Humbled Kirkland on the rebound

Humbled Kirkland on the rebound

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

March 23, 2011

The last time Austin, Texas' James Kirkland [27-0, 24 KOs] found himself in the midst of a meaningful bout against an able bodied opponent, this writer was ringside.

In a headlining bout as part of HBO's Boxing After Dark in San Jose, California, James Kirkland dismantled a game Joel Julio, ultimately finishing the Colombian in six rounds. It was the kind of performance that, if Kirkland was somehow not on your radar, after that March 2009 performance he most certainly had to be.